Taking A Crack At Fatherhood
by SparrowWriter64
Summary: After finding Kouryuu in the river, Koumyou Sanzo decides to keep the boy as his own. A questionable decision to many, but Koumyou is determined to try his hand at fatherhood, no matter what. Even through dirty diapers.
1. Never Name A Stray

Disclaimer: I do not own Saiyuki or any of its characters. I wish I owned Koumyou…but sadly, he is Kazuya Minekura's property.

Author's Note—Throughout the series, it doesn't say how old Kouryuu was when Koumyou picked him up. The circumstances change ever so often. But in the most recent volume of Reload, when Koumyou meets with Ken'yuu, he says that Kouryuu is three and makes comments that lead the reader to believe that he's had Kouryuu for awhile. So I made my best guess as to the age.

Taking a Crack at Fatherhood

Chapter One

Koumyou sat at his desk, but he wasn't getting any work done. The Sanzo priest was usually easily distracted from his paperwork, but today, he was even more so by the sleeping infant on his bedroll. The infant was the one he had found yesterday in the river, the one who had been calling to him. The little boy had been sleeping ever since Koumyou had rushed him to infirmary monks. It looked like the infant would be perfectly fine (he was quite the fighter, Koumyou smiled) and the monk doctor had told Koumyou that he judged the boy's age to be little more than a year.

_He's so cute. _Koumyou smiled in that easy way, that smile that just seemed as natural as breathing to him. The infant's chest went up and down gently as it slept. Golden blonde hair was growing up in little spikes all over his head…maybe time for a hair cut? Koumyou would look into it.

A knock on the door sent Koumyou into a flurry of motion. By the time the acolyte had slid the door all the way open, the Sanzo priest seemed hard at work, pen in hand and deep in thought. The long-haired man felt himself obligated to at least _look _like he was dedicated to work, to set an example for the other monks.

"Excuse me, Master Sanzo." The acolyte bowed.

Koumyou inclined his head towards the young man and laid down his pen. "Yes?"

"The head priest wishes to see you," the acolyte reported. He glanced at the infant before adding, "About the boy, sir."

This meeting was bound to happen. That didn't mean, however, that Koumyou was looking forward to it. Sighing, he pushed his chair back from the desk and stood up. Casting a look down at his little river orphan, he asked, "What about him? He's sleeping so peacefully, I don't want to risk taking him with me…"

The acolyte shifted his weight from foot to foot. "I—I don't know about that, sir. I was just told to guide you to the head priest's office."

The grin that was usually so inspiring to those of lower rank was suddenly eerie to the acolyte. Koumyou clapped his hands together. "Such a good thing that I already know the way to his office! So you don't have to worry about guiding me. Instead, you can stay here and watch him. Fetch me if there's trouble. But I think you'll be fine; he's been sleeping since yesterday. Good luck!" Koumyou patted the young man on the back on his way out the door.

Sighing, the acolyte slumped down on the floor next to the bedroll. It wasn't like he could disobey a direct order from a Sanzo…

* * *

Kneeling down on the mat below the high priest's plateau, Koumyou did his part in the exchange of bows. He liked the high priest. Sure, maybe the man was a little bumbling at times, but he got the job done and didn't try to force Koumyou out of his lackadaisical attitude. Leaning forward, the old priest squinted down at the Sanzo. "Where is the young man I sent after you? He was to conduct you here…"

_I've been here for two years; I can find my way around now. They all seem to forget that. _"I took the liberty of giving him new instructions to watch the little guy. I hope it was no impertinence."

The head priest's brow furrowed, bringing his shaggy eyebrows close together. Koumyou fancied that they looked like albino caterpillars. "Impertinence…? Ah, no, Lord Sanzo, of course not, no…but speaking of the boy—"

"I've decided to keep him."

The fuzzy caterpillars shot up the priest's forehead. "Keep him? But, Master Sanzo—"

Koumyou smiled and tilted his head to the side in a disarming manner. "What is it they say? _Don't ever name a stray animal—it's a sign of attachment and then you'll never be able to take leave of it. _Yes…I think that's it, maybe."

"An infant is hardly a dog or cat…wait, Lord Sanzo, do you mean to say that you've already named the child?"

"Kouryuu."

"Hm?"

"That's what I named him. Kouryuu. Slightly unromantic, but fitting, don't you think?"

"Charming, but…Lord Sanzo…"

_This could take awhile. How boring. _Koumyou pushed himself up with a slight stretch, cutting off the head priest. "I'm glad that's settled. Now if you will excuse me, I have some paperwork to attend to."

"Lord Sanzo…"

Not turning around, Koumyou strode out of the office, a satisfied smile on his face.

End of Chapter One

Next chapter: a questioning visit from Goudai Sanzo and a really bad smell. Half finished, so expect soon!


	2. Rumor is fact, he intends to

Disclaimer: Guess what? I still don't own Saiyuki, Koumyou, Kouryuu, or Goudai.

Taking a Crack at Fatherhood

Chapter Two

He had such beautiful eyes.

Koumyou lay on his stomach on the opposite side of the pillow as Kouryuu, head resting on his arms. Being the warm, lazy afternoon that it was, he had abandoned his traditional Sanzo uniform for jeans and a slightly oversized button-up shirt. The little infant had finally woken up two hours ago. Kouryuu looked swamped in his make-shift robes, which were really pieces of scrap cloth hurriedly stitched together to resemble clothing. The tailor would be working on proper robes this evening. Some rags had been scrounged up to serve as diapers. Right now, the two were staring at each other over the pillow.

Quite remarkable eyes, really. A violent purple that seemed to hold a now-dormant surviving fire in them. Koumyou smiled at him, not letting his grin relax. _Friendly attitude, friendly attitude…I need to gain trust here! _Kouryuu just looked at him with a perplexed expression. Finally, the boy reached over the distance and baby-slapped the priest on the nose.

"I…don't really know what to do with that," Koumyou said with a somewhat nervous laugh. Was this a bad sign…?

"Sir!"

His door slid back with a sharp rattle that made Koumyou sit straight up. The trainee standing at the threshold was bright red as if he was out of breath or embarrassed that he had caught the Koumyou Sanzo in casual clothing. Maybe both. He gave a quick, flustered bow before saying, "Priest Goudai Sanzo humbly requests an audience—"

"Move it, kid." Goudai's large hand clapped down on the trainee's shoulder, moving him back and out of the way. The older Sanzo strode into Koumyou's room, head held high and wild mane of dark hair tumbling down his back. Goudai looked down at little Kouryuu on the bedroll as he reached behind himself to slide the door shut. The infant's face screwed up, the mouth turning down, and Kouryuu scooted closer to Koumyou. All was silent in the room except for Kouryuu's whimpers. Then—

"Your baby's a whiney-ass."

Koumyou scooped the blonde boy into his lap as an attempt to make him feel better. "Don't call my baby a whiney-ass! You just scared him, you bald mountain."

Goudai squatted down on the floor and raised an eyebrow at Koumyou. "_Bald mountain? _Where did that come from?"

"I…honestly have no idea. Probably from your size and lack of hair."

"Thanks, Koumyou." Goudai said with a grin, one eyebrow arched upward. "But insults are not why I came here. Rumor is you plan on keeping the kid."

"Rumor is fact," Koumyou replied. The infant in his lap was now pressing the buttons of his shirt into his chest with a single-minded fascination. The Sanzo priest ruffled the boy's hair.

"I've always known you were slightly off, but this is insane!" Goudai exclaimed, slapping his hand against his thigh. Kouryuu laughed at his gesture. "You can not care for the boy, Koumyou!"

"Of course I can. My Sanzo duties aren't that demanding, Goudai."

"For a Sanzo priest to take in a child, especially one of such origins—"

"Am I not supposed to help the people? I think that also extends to babies in rivers. Besides, the little guy called to me and I can hardly abandon him after he was so persistent."

"Called…?"

"Yes, a voice, Goudai. It was quite annoying, so I followed it and I found him in the water."

Both men were silent. Kouryuu was rather quiet himself, making soft noises as he continued to play with the buttons on Koumyou's shirt. Finally, Goudai spoke. "So you really intend to try your hand at fatherhood?"

Koumyou laughed. "Yes, and I fancy that I won't be half bad at it."

"Or so you hope."

"That I do." Koumyou grinned. He lifted Kouryuu up to eye level, wondering briefly if the boy would smack him in the nose again. The infant squirmed, but that wasn't quite what made Koumyou's grin fade.

It was Goudai who finally put the question out in the open.

"What smells?"

"Oh dear…"

End of Chapter Two

Chapter Three—Koumyou's first test of his fathering abilities…changing a diaper. "You can not leave it in there until it decomposes, Koumyou!"


End file.
